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verb allow sth to get out through a hole ADV. badly The house was old and the roof leaked quite badly. | slightly tell sb about sth ADV. carefully, deliberately | widely The document had been widely leaked. PREP. from Confidential information that has been leaked from the BBC. | to The report was leaked to the press., noun small hole/crack VERB + LEAK have The boat had a small leak. | spring The pipe has sprung a leak. | plug, stop I managed to plug the leak. PREP. ~ in a leak in the roof when gas/liquid escapes ADJ. major, serious | minor | slow | fuel, gas, oil, radiation, radioactive VERB + LEAK cause The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. | detect, discover, find, notice, spot Fortunately, we spotted the leak in time. | fix, repair, stop The plumber fixed the leak. | prevent taking steps to prevent gas leaks in the future LEAK + VERB happen, occur PREP. ~ from Pollution inspectors were called to a leak from a chemical factory. | ~ of a leak of dangerous chemicals giving away information ADJ. security LEAK + VERB come from sth The leak could only have come from one source. PREP. ~ about a security leak about a number of suspicious deaths among civil servants | ~ from a leak from the prime minister's office | ~ of a leak of confidential material | ~ to a leak to the American authorities PHRASES the source of a leak The organization's press secretary is thought to be the source of the leak.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
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general::
Phrase(s): leak something (out) [and] let something (get) out
Fig. to disclose special information to the press so that the resulting publicity will accomplish something. (Usually said of government disclosures. Also used for accidental disclosures.) • Don’t leak that information out. • I don’t want to be the one to leak it.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs